Common Questions

We know you will have many questions as you prepare to start your academic year with us. Here you will find useful information that will answer many of your questions as well as a list of the staff and teachers you can contact if you have more detailed questions.

Important Dates 2016-2017

New Students arrive for New Student Orientation: August 11th or August 12, 2016

New Student Orientation: August 13-August 19, 2016

School starts: August 22, 2016

Graduation: June 2, 2017

Last day of classes: June 9, 2017

Holidays and Breaks

Labor Day: 09/05/2016Veteran's Day: 11/11/2016Thanksgiving: 11/23/2016 -11/27/2016 (Wednesday to Sunday)Christmas Break: 12/17/2016-01/01/2017- The dormitory will be closed from December 17th until January 1st. Students can leave after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 16, 2016. The dorm will close at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 17, 2015. Airport transportation is provided on Friday after 3:30 and Saturday only. The dorm will open on 01/02/16. Students should return by January , 2017, so they can rest from jet lag on Sunday and be ready for classes on Monday morning. Airport transportation is provided. Martin Luther King Day: 01/16/2017President's Day: 02/20/2017Memorial Day: May 29, 2017Spring Break: 03/18/2017-04/02/2017 -The dormitory will be open for these two weeks. Students may leave anytime after 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2017. They should return no later than Saturday, April 1, 2017, so they can rest from jet lag on Sunday and be ready for classes on Monday morning. Memorial Day: 05/329/2017

Christmas and Spring Break

Students should not leave early or come back late. Teachers are unable to re-teach lessons, so a student's grade will be affected. Airport transportation is included in the tuition. However, there will be an additional fee of $50 for transportation for early departures or late arrivals.

Travel information

As soon as you obtain your student visa and book your airline tickets, please email our Director of Residential Life, Ms. Anna McCreedy, at ammcreedy@smschool.us with your flight information and itinerary. Make sure that your final destination is Medford, Oregon USA (Rogue Valley International Airport- MFR).

New Students

Our Residential Staff will welcome you at the airport, transport you to the dormitory, settle you in, make sure you have what you need, and give you a detailed packet of information about the August 13th-19th New Student Orientation and everything you need to get ready for the school year.

What should I bring with me? Clothing? School supplies? Can I ship things in advance?

Once you have your visa and your travel plans are set, you can send some personal belongings. We are happy to store any items that you want to ship ahead of time. Send them to St. Mary's School, 816 Black Oak Drive, Medford, Oregon USA 97504.

Please note that DHL does not have a Medford office. DHL sub-contracts with UPS once packages arrive in the USA and this transfer sometimes delays shipments to Medford. We recommended that you use UPS or FedEx directly.

Clothing:

It will be warm when you arrive and stay that way through October. Light summer clothing which meets the requirements of the St. Mary's School Dress Code will be sufficient for the first few months.

By the end of October, you will want to have a warm jacket. A waterproof jacket, sweaters, and other warmer clothing are good for the winter. It does not snow much in the valley, so heavy snow boots are not necessary unless you decide to participate in the ski and snowboard program.

School supplies*:

*Important Note: Please bring an electronic translator dictionary with you. Cellular phones cannot be used as dictionaries during classes at St. Mary's School.

St. Mary's School has high-speed internet for students. Students must bring a laptop to school every day to use in their classes.

Students can buy school supplies such as paper, notebooks, protractors, pens and pencils here after they arrive.

Banking

During New Student Orientation, each international student will have the opportunity to open a bank account at US Bank. In order to open bank accounts, students are advised to bring cash or travelers checks. You might want to have money wired from the bank in China to a local account in the U.S. There is no balance required to open a bank account at a US Bank. Parents will be able to wire money to their student's bank accounts throughout the school year (as needed) for spending money.

Credit Cards:

It is strongly advised that each international student travel with a Visa credit card to be used for incidentals throughout the year.

Financial Questions:

What determines the International Student Tuition rate?

The international tuition rate at St. Mary's School is determined by factors related to the costs of educating and caring for international students. According to policy, the School does not itemize, add, or subtract these costs from the set tuition. Rather, St. Mary's School bundles all costs together into one uniform tuition price.

International student tuition is more costly than domestic tuition in several ways:

St. Mary's School employs numerous employees to provide international students with 24-hour per day (or 168 hours per week) supervision. We provide approximately just 35 hours per week of supervision to our domestic students. St. Mary's tuition also includes a full health insurance policy, covering accidents and illnesses, at no additional expense to the international student. Domestic students do not receive this costly benefit.

Housing, meals, and transportation to school, medical appointments, sporting and other school events, shopping excursions, community service, and other activities, including airport pickup/drop off service is included in the tuition. Domestic students do not receive these services.

English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are provided to all international high school students with no extra fees. In addition, we provide each international student individualized academic and college counseling services, and we maintain a TOEFL test site on our campus for the exclusive use of our international students. TOEFL and SAT instruction are included in our program. None of these services are used by our domestic students.

St. Mary's School maintains each student's SEVIS (government) record. This includes providing and monitoring the I-20 document. The school prepares and transmits yearly transcripts and other supporting documents for visa renewals. Domestic students do not use this service.

How do we pay tuition charges?

A wire transfer of funds is required. This is the safest and most secure method.

Are there any additional fees?

Students will need to buy their books (estimated at about $700 per year). There is also a fee of about $300 to play a team sport (for transportation and coaching costs), and each student needs a sports physical here in the US before playing. There are also some optional student trips which students can choose to join and which have extra costs.

Books:

New Students will recieve their schedule during New Student Orientation, and the staff will help students order books at that time.

Returning Students: You should buy your books by August 1st. Please ship the books to St. Mary's School, 816 Black Oak Drive Medford, Oregon 97504 and we will store them for you until your arrival.

Please be sure to order using the student's name so that the name appears on the box.

How do I access my billing statement?

St. Mary's School has a secure on-line system called My BackPack which allows you to see your financial summary, billing statements, and account balances at any time.

Mybackpack also allows parents access to their student's grades, assignments and allows parents to email teachers. Upon enrollment, we will provide students and parents with login and password information for accessing this system.

Who do I contact with financial questions?

Mr. Brad Olson, Business Manager, can answer all of your financial questions. Please email him at bolson@smschool.us

Academic Questions:

When do I get my class schedule?

What English (ESL) class will I take?

Students are required to take an English language proficiency test during the New Student Orientation. Students will be assigned to appropriate ESL classes based on their English proficiency levels.

Our mission is to support each student's efforts to develop their English skills and provide instruction to ensure success at St. Mary's School. Contact Ms Ronda Sheffield (rsheffield@smschool.us) with any questions about our ESL classes.

When will I take the SAT test?

Seniors should plan to take the SAT at St. Mary's School on the first available test date in October of their Senior year. Students register at www.Collegeboard.com and choose St. Mary's as the test site. Scores should be reported to St. Mary's School at 380655. Transportation will only be provided from the dormitory to St.Mary's School for SAT testing.

Juniors at St. Mary's School will take the SAT in the spring of their Junior year. St. Mary's School will provide transportation from the dormitory to the St. Mary's test site on only one test date each spring. Students should check with the St. Mary's staff to learn about this testing date.

Important Information

*Students who would like to take the SAT should register for the test at least two months in advance to make sure they can attend on these test dates.

**Students who do not register in time or who want to take a test on a different date are expected to provide their own transportation to the testing site on the test day.

As an integral part of our academic and college advising, international junior and senior students at St. Mary’s School are required to take the TOEFL. These tests are mandatory and are an essential part of the college application process. Nearly all American colleges require the TOEFL for admission.

Students must take the TOEFL once in the spring of their junior year. They are also welcome to take the test again in the fall of their senior year.

Students take the TOEFL at the St. Mary’s SchoolTestingCenter located on the St. Mary’s campus.

What is college counseling? When does it start?

This begins immediately during orientation and continues intensively throughout the student's years at St. Mary's. Upon arrival you will meet our college counselor, Ms. Lesley Klecan, who will help you plan and set goals to help you achieve college placement.